Posted by Jeff Carlisle

JOHANNESBURG -- According to U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati, it all could have ended up so differently for Fabio Capello.

In late 2007, the Italian could have taken on a cushy role as technical director of the USSF, helping mold and shape American soccer for years to come. Gulati -- who emphasized that Capello was not being interviewed about coaching the U.S. national team -- even indicated that after years of managing in the suffocating pressure of Italy's Serie A and Spain's La Liga, Capello was "looking forward to a different sort of challenge with less pressure. That was about six weeks before he took the England job, maybe two months."

So back into the cauldron Capello went, one that looks to be reaching the boiling point after England's 4-1 second-round loss to Germany. Capello insisted Monday that he wanted to stay on to manage the team's bid to qualify for Euro 2012.

"I spoke this morning with [Club England chairman] Sir Dave Richards," Capello told reporters. "He told me that he needs two weeks to decide. I said I can be for next season, the manager of England, but they have to decide."

Gulati, of course, didn't sound opposed to talking to Capello again.

"We were talking about different things, including [a technical director role], working with one of the youth teams," Gulati said. "He's a very interesting guy with a lot of interests. It was very exploratory … we had a great discussion."